Our Message July 10th, 2022 Brother Justin included these 4 common types of Complainers. Can you find yourself in one of these? I sure did. Enjoy

 I.       FOUR COMMON TYPES OF COMPLAINERS

1.      THE WHINER— These people wake up negative.  Instead of rise & shine… they rise and whine.  David, God love him, whines all through the Psalms. Now, if you’re going to complain… complain to God. You’re allowed. But at the end of the day, you need to suck up your quivering lower lip and decide to trust God. Listen to this paraphrase of David’s whining in Psalm 73:13, “Have I been wasting my time?  Why take all the trouble to be pure?  All I get out of it is trouble and woe.”  The tell-tale sign of the whiner is: “It’s not fair.  I don’t deserve this.” Gloom, despair & agony on me, woah! Now, I know some people have serious, real, genuine mental health issues. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about whiners. People that consistently only see that bad in life!

Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 20:11-12 about a landowner who hired day workers to harvest his crops. And some of them he hired early in the morning. Others he hired later in the day, even right up to the last shift. But when he started handing out paychecks, everybody got the same. It didn’t matter if they worked 10 hours or 1 hour. What do you think happened? Whiners! “They began to grumble (say grumble) against the landowner… you have made them (who started later) equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.” [Explain if needed.] Friends, sometimes life is not fair. It willbe fair in Heaven, but we’re not there yet. God will settle the score on judgment day. Complaining about it today only makes you more miserable and spreads that toxic attitude.  It doesn’t help. It doesn’t work. Don’t be a whiner – that’s unbecoming of a Christian.

2. THE MARTYR — You know who had a hard time with this? Moses. His go-to was, “No one appreciates me.” In the OT book of Numbers, chapter 11, the Israelites start complaining because their being tested in the desert wilderness. God is meeting their needs, but they start complaining [describe]. And who typically takes the brunt of complaints? Leadership. In this case, Moses. So, what does Moses do? Complains. Complaining is contagious. That’s another quick lesson. But listen to Moses’ response. [Read Numbers 11:11-15 from Pulpit Bible NIV]

Moses. C’mon, Bro. I know leadership is hard. Okay? I’ve been the target of heated attacks. Y’all like me now, but that’s because I’m still new. Give me another 5-7 years and I’m sure I’ll eventually tick you off. It just happens. Leadership is tough. And I think leaders are especially susceptible to this form of complaining. Don’t play the Martyr. These people are pros at having pity parties. When they are sick or under pressure, or overworked, they want everybody to know about it. “Someday… I’ll be gone. And THEN you’ll be sorry.” Ever heard that one? Yeah, that’s the Martyr. “No one appreciates me.” Let’s not go there, okay? Playing the Martyr is a bad witness for Christ.

3. THE CYNIC — Remember Eeyore from Whinny the Poo? “Oh well.” “That’s life.” “I shouldn’t expect anything better.” This is the Philosophic Complainer. You know who that was in the Bible? King Solomon. His favorite phrase was, “Nothing will ever change.” Just read the book of Ecclesiastes – but not if you’re already depressed! Listen to King Eeyore in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” One devotional paraphrased it this way: Life is useless. You spend your life working and what do you have to show for it? The world stays just the same ... what has been done before will be done again. Ever heard this one? “I guess we just can’t have nice things.” I’m sorry I broke the coffee table, Mom. But just so you know. Wrestlemania was on & Hulk Hogan just body slammed Andre the Giant. All jokes aside, philosophical complaining isn’t any better – any holier – than any other kind of complaining. It will cause people not to like you and will hurt your witness. 

4. THE PERFECTIONIST – Nothing is good enough. We could capture this complainer by this phrase, “Is that the best you can do?” One translation of Proverbs 21:19 says, “Better to live out in the desert than with a nagging, complaining wife.” Now, this refers to husbands, too! This is another observation from King Eeyore. He put it in the context of wives, but it’s equally applicable to husbands and fathers. Nagging perfectionists. Nothing is ever right. You know who else I think struggled with this? The Apostle Paul. Paul did know grace. But I get the feeling he was pretty hard-nosed, too. I remember in Acts that he and Barnabas took along a young man named John-Mark (who went on to write the Gospel of Mark) on that 1^st Missionary Journey. But Mark chickened out just a few weeks in. We don’t know why. It just says he left and went home. Well, a few years later, Barnabas wanted to take Mark on the 2^nd trip. Guess what Paul said. Look at it Acts 15:37-38, “Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.” In fact, it goes on to say that the disagreement was so sharp that Paul & Barnabas split up! Paul wouldn’t yield. Paul wouldn’t give him a 2^nd chance. Ever know a perfectionist like that? You blow it once and you’re out of the circle of trust. “Is that the best you can do, Mark? No. You don’t get another chance.”

Nothing destroys the warmth of a home faster than perfectionist, grace-less complaining. That B+ in Algebra isn’t good enough. You got three hits tonight? Well, why not 4? I heard you miss a note in your piano recital. I told you you should’ve practiced more. How about in our marriages? This chicken is overcooked. You always do that! Don’t pull up that close to the curb! You’ll scratch the rims. You missed a spot mowing the yard. What are you blind? Christians don’t say those kind of things do they? Maybe not on Sunday morning. I think I’ve made my point. So, beware of these four styles of complaining. Remember that complaining produces a poor witness. But now, let’s get to the good stuff. Pastor Bill, come up and teach us how to Conquer Complaining!

 GOD'S MODEL FOR MANHOOD

This Fathers day our team is addressing God's Model For Manhood. Using Phillipians 2:19-30 to guide us to what God told us how to model the kind of man He is looking for. 

I opened the message by quoting A man by the name of Weldon Hardenbrook who wrote a book by the name of Missing From Action:  The Vanishing Manhood in America.  

 He describes four kinds of people being promoted as men but aren’t the true masculine role.  One is what he called the Macho Maniac.  This is Dirty Harry, Rambo, Clint Eastwood, Diehard, Robocop 2.  Deny all your feelings, ignore the law, never complain, never apologize.  Just sweat and lots of it.  Accomplish the impossible every eight minutes, take anything you want and bully people.  The Macho Maniac model.

The 2nd kind of model he calls The Great Pretender.  This is the  Archie Bunker type of person who builds up his self worth by constantly belittling someone else especially his wife and his family.  He rules over his family while everyone actually ridicules him behind his back.  He’s frightened by the world so he keeps everyone at arm’s length by his constant caustic talk.

The 3rd model he gives is what he calls The World Class Wimp.  This is the Dagwood Bumstead type of person who is so inept he’s constantly outwitted by his children, his wife and even his dog.  Nobody takes him serious.  He’s a bumbling idiot.  His motto is “Blessed are the passive for they shall avoid conflict at all costs.” “

The 4th wrong model he presents is what he calls The Gender Blenders.  This is the Michael Jacksons, the Boy George, Prince.  They don’t even pretend to be masculine. Very popular today, the feminization of man There’s quite a confusion of the roles there, of identity.  In People magazine there was a psychologist who asked his seven-year-old nephew whether Michael Jackson was a boy or a girl and the son said, “Both.” And we thought the gender identity was something new… I think that this book is saying that the American male is suffering from an identity crisis of epidemic proportions.  Is there an alternative?  Sure there is.  Just look at the Bible.  You find God’s model.  

Brother Justin and I continued by expressing 5 things the Bible tells us about the kind of man God is looking for. 

1. A man manwho understands and shows COMPASSION. Men who put people before profits

2. A man who understands CONSISTENCY, who puts character before Conformity

3. A man who understands COOPERATION by putting cooperation before competition.

4. A man who understands COMMITMENT by putting the cause of Christ before comfort.

5. A man who understands COURAGE by putting service before security.

"Only those who give away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live." Mark 8:35 (LB)

We should show enthusiasm for the life God has given us!

 Show some enthusiasm!

It’s hard today to show enthusiasm for anything because of what’s going on in our country, what has happened over the last year, but it’s very important that we as believers show enthusiasm for life because we know the end of the story. We must remember whose kingdom that we are a citizen of and also remember that the best argument for Christianity is Christians! their joy, there certainly, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians – when they are somber… joyless… Self righteous… Smug… Narrow and repressive. The Christian life is not meant to be a journey to the grave with the goal of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but a race to the finish line, used up, totally fulfilled, and loudly proclaiming “wow” what a ride! David tells us that God lifed him out of a pit of despair, put his feet on solid ground, and gave him a new song in Psalm 40:1-31 and hasn’t he done the same for us?  So from this point forward, we should show enthusiasm for the life he has given us. 

Conflict and trails will come

 Conflict will come into our lives.

In my 20 years of ministry one thing seems certain, conflict will come into our lives, and when it does, we have the opportunity to honor God by responding as his word says we should. But it’s not easy. I’ve noticed the conflict seems to jump out just when things seem to be going smooth in church, someone gets their feelings hurt. I’ve had to deal with many different emotions from people who at the most unusual times come forward to say that I’ve done something wrong, someone else has done something wrong, someone is offended them, someone’s hurt their feelings or I said something I shouldn’t have said. So often it comes down to they’re just not getting the attention that they need. 

The Word tells in James 1:19-22 that I am to listen, I’m to think before I speak, and I am to avoid anger. So I know what God‘s Word says about anger I know what God‘s Word says about dealing with conflict but it’s not always easy to obey. So my prayer for today will be Lord, I want to always be a doer of your word. And as God would, I was finishing my thoughts on conflict when my wife sends me her daily devotion. 

From my wife Vicki;

Why does God allow us to go through trials...particularly trials of longer length?  Look at and consider Deuteronomy 8:1-11.

The Bible shares with us that there are valid purposes for trials:

1. To humble us

2. To test us

3. To know what is in our hearts

4. To reveal whether we will keep God's commandments or not

5. To humble us to reveal what we hunger for, whether it be good or bad

6. To show us our great need for God's Word 

7. To show us His provision

8. So we will know in our hearts that God loves us and cares enough about us to discipline us as His own---just as a loving parent disciplines his own son

9. As motivation to "keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him"

10. To applicably teach us how to walk in His ways and to fear Him

11. To eventually bring us to a better place so we will be freed up to "bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you"

12. To free Him up to bless us at a greater level after we obey, walk in His ways, and fear Him

13. To teach us our need for Him so we will not forget to obey Him and we will not reject or neglect Him in the days to come

Trials are difficult and they truly show us what we are made of. They reveal the true condition of our hearts, what we think, and what we believe. They ultimately reveal what we truly think about God.

What if we are going through a life challenge right now...and we have failed miserably so far to love God and be loyal to Him?

Talk to Him about it right now and ask Him for His forgiveness. His mercies are new every morning and He is so faithful!

The Bible says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We are running a race and the goal is to condition our spiritual hearts. It's easy to fall down...and the enemy stops at nothing to trip you up.

Choose to get back up, brush yourself off, and continue to run a good race. Allow whatever situation you are in to refine you...not define you. Allow life's trials to bring you closer to God. 

Life may be very tough today but you serve a God who is in full control of all of your tomorrows. Go through this necessary journey with God to become better suited to love and serve Him...and in the process, He will bring you to a better place. There is a great prize at the end of the race of life, press forward with all your might!

Scriptures:

““Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good. “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.”  ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8:1-3, 5-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”1 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:22-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:11, 13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Four of a kind, beats a full house

 Four of a kind beats a full house

Message notes from 2 /21/2021

Mark 2:1-12

 

I. FAITH FACTOR ONE: A CHURCH FULL OF PEOPLE (v.1-2)
“A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. [2] So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.” 

II. FAITH FACTOR TWO: A CHURCH FULL OF LOVE: (v.2-4)
“So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. [3] Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. [4] Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.” 

III. FAITH FACTOR THREE: A CHURCH FULL OF COOPERATION (v.3-4)
“Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. [4] Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.” 

IV. FAITH FACTOR FOUR: A CHURCH FULL OF CHANGED LIVES (v.5) 
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven.”

V. FAITH FACTOR FIVE: A CHURCH FULL OF CHALLENGES (v.6-9)
“Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,  "Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ’Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ’Get up, take your mat and walk?” 

VI. FAITH FACTOR SIX: A CHURCH FULL OF HIS POWER (v.11-12a)
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all…” 

VII. FAITH FACTOR SEVEN: A CHURCH FULL OF PRAISE (v.12b)
“This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, 

 

 

             "We have never seen anything like this!”

FAVORITE DEVOTIONAL FROM MY WIFE, VICKI

 Something I have noticed about Christians who go through grief is they become super dynamic as they allow God to mold their hearts throughout their grief experience.

1. They live a life of LOVE- they extravagantly love God & others.
2. They place themselves under authority and wise counsel- they respect & honor God, their parents/in-laws, government, & employer.
3. They actively and purposely develop the fruits of the Spirit into their lives--LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, & SELF-CONTROL.
4. They are sensitive to the heart of God--what brings God joy will bring a Christian joy..and what breaks God's heart will break a Christ follower's heart.
5. They approach life, and others, with an eternal perspective--they desire to love and build God's kingdom and they desire to love, encourage, and build others up.
6. They live a life of PEACE-- they strive to have harmony in all their relationships, families, marriage, and homes. They don't take revenge. They do good to others.
7. They strive to live lives of faithfulness...and are GIVERS, not takers ...in their marriage, parenting, families, relationships, homes, business, and finances.
8. They have a heart for the less fortunate and hurting. They actively minister to widows, orphans, the fatherless, the grieving, poor, and the struggling.
9. They have a heart for evangelism and missions. They love what God has done so much in their own life that they desire to share their testimony and faith with others. 
10. They live a life of FAITH and HOPE--they understand that life on earth is not the final destination. Hardships strengthen their faith and hope. Trials refine them and sharpen them for God's use and ultimate purpose. They live out their life purpose with joy.
11. They live a life of service. They seek ways to be an asset to others instead of a liability. They look for ways to bless others. They are more than willing to roll up their sleeves to help God, their family, friends, church, and others.
12. They seek to live a life of WISDOM and refrain from living a life of foolishness. They give God complete access and “say-so” in their life and life choices.
13. They live a life of self control instead of self indulgence. They seek to live morally, ethically, and responsibly, and have a conscience about how best to carry out God's purpose for their life. They understand boundaries and implement wise ones. 
14. They live life on God's schedule instead of their own schedule. They seek to develop and establish a wise schedule that maintains harmony in their home, church, school, and workplace. Since they understand how precious time truly is, they wisely redeem the time God entrusts to them.
15. They respect and implement COMMUNITY--They "do life" with others. They take time to enjoy God, life, family, friends, loved ones, church, as well as each moment God blesses them with...in the good times and the bad. They rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. They see the miracle life is and God's hand in every moment. They seek to establish strong families, marriages, churches, friendships, mentorships, and communities. Those who grieve have a powerful ability to love God, love others, and change the world.
What have you learned through your grief? I'm telling you, grief is one of the most powerful teachers you can learn life lessons from.

Why do we choose to live our life in a pit?

 Why do we choose to live our life in a pit? I often ask that question and get asked that question as to why with all that we have in our lives all that God is supplied why do we go through times of living our life in what seems to be a dark pit. 2020 certainly has created a life environment where it is easy to be in the pits. I’m reminded of the scripture and I think to myself when we talk about being in a pit it’s like Joseph in the Bible we may get thrown into a pit. Or maybe like David we may slip into the pit! Or maybe you feel like Elijah you just want to find a pit and jump in it. And of course there is Job, we may  just realize that life is the pits. The question is not whether we will face pits in our life? The question is what will we do when we find ourselves in the pit? David cried out to God from the pit and God not only heard but he helped. And just as he helped David, God will help you. Have you allowed the pit moments of life to define who you are? I want to suggest to you today that you avoid the temptation to become comfortable in the pit, it is so easy for us to.So starting today let’s refuse to throw a pit-y  party let’s say goodbye to pit-iful living and remember that Jesus came out of the tomb so that we could come up out of the pit.

May God keep you safe, and be light that takes you from the pit!